Ventilating attachment for water-closets



March 19, 1929. s BLANCHABD 1,706,021

VENTILATING ATTACHMENT FOR WATER CLOSETS Filed Oct. 31, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l Q mV 1%- TTURNEYE' M r 1929. K. s. )BLANCHARD 1,706, 21

VENTILATING ATTACHMENT FOR WATER CLOSETS Filed Oct. 51. 1927 a Sheets-Sheet 2 March 19, 1929.

VENTILATI NG ATTACHMENT FOR "WATER CLOSETS Filed Oct. 31, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet n l I!!! I E V B Y -MVM A770 R/VEYS Fatentecl Mar. 19, 1929.

UNITED STATES KIRK S. BLANCHARD, F HOLLEY, NEW YORK.

VENTILATING ATTACHMENT FOR WATER-CLOSETS.

Application filed October 31. 1927. Serial No. 230,050.

This invention relates to a ventilating attachment for water closets, and analogous fixtures of the class set forth in my Patents No. 696,906, July 4, 1911, and No. 1,025,364,

May 7, 1912, except that an electrically operated fan is mounted within the ventilating pipe and controlled by an electric switch which, in turn, is controlled by the opening and closing movement of the seat of the closet bowl through the medium of suitable connections between the seat and switch.

The main object of the present invention is to provide simple and eflicient means actuated by the lowering of the seat for operating the switch and motor-driven fan controlled thereby and also for opening a suitable damper in the ventilating pipe while the fan is in operation.

Another object is to construct the various parts of the ventilating device as a single unit capable of being easily and quickly in stalled in operative connection with any suitable bowl.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the invention will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section of my improved ventilating attachment mounted upon a bowl, which is shown as partly broken away and as provided with a vertically movable seat.

Figure 2 is a top plan of a portion of the closet bowl and seat together with the switch and damper supporting section and mechanism for transmitting motion from the seat to the switch and damper, a portionof the ventilating section being broken away to show the damper in full.

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4: is an enlarged side elevation of the lower horizontal pipe section upon which the damper and switch together with the operating means therefor is mounted.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side view of the rear end of the lower ventilating section showing the-electric switch in section and the operating crank for closing the same.

Figure -6 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portion of the lower horizontal section of the ventilator showing the stop for limiting the closing movement of the damper and openin movement of the switch operating memer.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional v1 ew taken on line 77, Figure 2.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood I have shown a closet bowl -A as provided with a substantially flat and horizontal rearward extension a and a seat B hingedly connected by sections b and b to the extension w to swing vertically about a horizontal axis toward and from the top of the bowl A-.

The ventilating device comprises a relatively broad but shallow pipe section --1' having the front end of its bottom cut away or opened so that the flanged side of said portion may rest fiatwise upon the upper surface of the extension a of the bowl as shown more clearly in Figure 3, said sides being provided with oppositely projecting lugs or cars '-2 having openings therethrough for receiving the hinge bolts b which serve to clamp the section 1. to the extension a in addition to their other function of supporting the lid b-.

The rear end of the section 1 is provided with bottom, top and side walls and is. slightly deeper than the front and to form a shoulder 3- which abuts against the rear and face of the extension a to assist in holding the section 1 firmly in place.

When the section 1- is clamped in operative position upon the extension a the latter closes the opening in the bottom thereof, said extension being open at both ends to communicate with the interior of the bowl for ventilating purposes.

The section .l is provided with a rear wardly extending pipe section 4 which may be cast integrally therewith or separate.- ly therefrom and afterward permanently secured thereto to form a continuation of the section -1 and for this purpose the front end of the section -4 is relatively broad and shallow to correspond with the rear end of the section 1--"and is preferably hinged at 4 to the section 1 to permit it to be adjusted and set to the most convenient angles.

This section 4-- is deflected laterally mainly to one side of thesection -1- and at an angle thereto forconvenience of installation ofthe switch and damper operating mechanism presentlydescribed, the extreme rear end of the section 4 being-cylindrical for receiving the adjacent end of a ventilating pipe. section 5'-which may be connected with a draft flue or vent pipe C in the house or as shown, may be extended through the roof or to the exterior of any other portion of the house and thereby form a ventilating extension of the sections 1 and 4. p

The ventilator pipe 5 is continued upwardly above the upper 'floor or to the attic of the building where it is connected to one end of a suitable fan case --6 which is additionally supported from the roof, ceiling or rafters by a hanger or equivalent support 9- and has its other end connected to the Vent pipe -C.

This fan case is preferably disposed in a horizontal position for receiving and enclosing an electric motor 7- and a fan 8- which latter is direct-connected to the armature shaft of the motor to rotate about a horizontal axis, the motor being mountedv upthrough a nipple 11 on the fan case 6 to the motor and through the ventilating pipe -5 to a self-opening seat-controlled electric switch 13.

The switch 13 is mounted in a suitable.

case -14. preferably on the underside of the pipe section 4.- as shown more clearly in Figure 5 and comprises a pair of spring terminals --15 which are mounted upon an insulating block 16 within the case 14- and are connected to the cables 12- to cooperate with a moveable switch member for controlling the operation of the motor in a manner presently described.

Under this arrangement the fan will be operated only when the seat bis depressed by the owner and will remain at rest when the seat is raised, thereby conserving the current used in the operation of the motor moved into and out of contact with the ter-' minals 15 for closing and opening the motor circuit as the plunger is moved in opposite directions in the manner hereinafter described.

The plunger -17- and its switch member .18-- are yieldingly held in their open positions by means of a coiled spring 20- between the outer. face of the adjacent end of the case 14L-- .and a shoulder 21- on the outer end of. the rod -17- so that the motor switch is normally'open, but is adapted to be closed automatically by the depression of thekseat ]3 toward the top of the bowl For this latter purpose, a crank shaft 22 is journaled in suitable bearings -23 on one side of the front pipe section 1 to rock about a horizontal axis substantially parallel with the longitudinal center of the section 1 and has its front end extended forwardly some distance beyond the hinge section b and provided with a laterally outwardly and upwardly projecting crank arm 24-- underlying and normally engaging the underside of the adjacent portion of the seat -B some distance in front of the hinge pin as b"-- about which the seat is adapted to move.

The rear end of the crank shaft 22 is provided with a rearwardly, laterally and outwardly extending crank arm 25- along the adjacent side of the pipe section -4:-. The rear end of the crank arm 24 is provided with a laterally and inwardly offset 26 to which is connected one end of a tension spring 27 having its other end attached at.28 to the underside of the rear end of the pipe section 4 as shown more clearly in Figure 4.

A damper -29, Figure 3,'is mounted on the intermediate portion of a crank shaft 80 within the rear end of the pipe section .-4 for regulating the passage of air and gases through said pipe, said shaft being crank arm -31-- which is connected by a link -32-- to the offset portion 26 of the crank arm 25for transmitting motion from the crank shaft -23 to the damper shaft -30- and vice versa.

The opposite end of the damper shaft 30 is provided with an external crank arm 33 extending across the outer end of the switch-operating plunger 17 in normally spaced relation thereto but adapted to engage and operate the plunger when the damper -29 is opened by the depression of the seat B.

The tension spring 27 serves the triple purpose of operating the damper shaft 30- to yieldingly hold the damper in its closed position and also to operate the crank shaft ---22- to cause the crank arm 24 to normally hold the seat B in a slightly elevated position as shown in Figures 1 and 3 and also to hold the switch operating crank shown more clearly in Figure 6 for engaging the crank arm -25 and thereby limiting the rocking movement of the crank shaft 32 thereby -22- by the spring 27- which incidentally limits the movements of the seat B, damper 29- and switch-operating member -'33 leaving the seat B free to be further opened by hand independently of the crank arm The switch box 1-tis preferably made as a separate unit and secured by any suitable fastening means to the underside of the pipe section 4-, but obviously might be cast 1ntegral with said pipe section, if desired.

Operation.

Assuming that the seat B- is resting normally upon the crank arm 24- of the crank shaft -23 and is yieldingly held 1n that position against its own weight by the tension of the spring 27 which 1s sufficiently strong for that purpose but is adapted to yield under additional pressure on the box as, for example, the occupant thereof.

Under these conditions, the motor 7 and fan 8- will be at rest and the switch 13 will be open to break the circuit to the motor.

Now, as the seat B' is depressed by the user it will engage and depress the crank arm 24 thereby rocking the shaft 22 and its crank arm 25 away from the stop 34.

This operation of the crank arm 25 from its normal position against the action of the spring 27 will rock the damper shaft 30- through the medium of the link opening the damper 29- and operating the crank arm 33 on the damper shaftagainst the outer end -2l of the plunger 17- for forcing the plunger inwardly to engage its contact member -18 with the terminals 15 of the motor circuit for operating the motor 7 and its fan 8 as long as the seat Bremains depressed.

Immediately upon releasing the extra pressure or weight upon the seat B the spring 27' will restore the crank shaft 22- and damper shaft 30 to their normal positions thereby causing the crank arm 24- to elevate the seat B and at the same time the crank arm 25 will close the damper 29 and cause the withdrawal of the crank arm 33 on the damper shaft from engagement with the plunger 17 to allow the latter to be returned from its normal position by the retracting spring 2Q-- thus opening the switch 13 and causing the stoppage of the motor 7- and fan It is now evident that the motor 7 and fan .8 are operated only when the seat .B is occupied thereby conserving the current energy and wear upon the motor and also breaking the circuit to the motor. The electrical parts of the switch are entir'ely in'closed within the house 14 and the seat in a electrically operated motor driven fan withare, therefore, protected from contact with external objects.

The construction and operation of the apparatus as described is particularly simple and highly eflicient, but it is evident that various changes may be made in the structural details Without departing from the spirit of this invention.

It will be observed that when the closet is not in use the damper 29 will be in a more or less closed position according to the angle to which it is set on the shaft 30 thereby reducing the normal natural draft and conserving the heat in the room in which the closet is located, it being understood that the damper may be adjusted and set on the shaft 30- or otherwise to any angle or degree of normal natural draft required.

What I claim is 1. In a ventilating attachment for water closets having a bowl and a vertically moveable seat, a ventilating pipe communicating with the interior of the bowl, a damper within the said pipe, a crank shaft journaled on the pipe and provided with axially spaced crank arms, one of said crank arms constituting a yielding support for holding the seat in a normally elevated position, a spring operatively'connected to the other crank arm for operating the shaft to cause the firstnamed crank arm to elevate the seat, and means actuated by the second named crank arm for opening the damper when the first named crank arm is depressed.

2. In a ventilating attachment for water closets having a bowl and a vertically moveable seat, a ventilating pipe communicating with the interior of the bowl, a damper with in said pipe, a crank shaft journaled on the pipe and provided with axially spaced crank arms, one of said crank arms constituting a yielding support for holding the seat 'in a normally elevated position, a spring operatively connected to the other crank arm for operating the shaft to cause the first-named crank arm to elevate the seat, a damper within the pipe and means including a link operatively connected to the second named crank arm for opening the damper when the crank shaft is operated by the depression of the seat against the first-named crank arm.

3. In a ventilating attachment for water closets having a bowl and a vertically movea-ble seat, a ventilating pipe communicating with the interior of the bowl, a crank shaft having a crank arm normally engaged by the seat, a spring for operating the shaft and crank arm to cause the latter to normally hold slightly elevated position, an

in the Ventilating pipe, an electric switch controlling the motor circuit, and means actuated by the crank shaft for closing the switches as the crank shaft is operated by the depression of the seat.

4. In a ventilating attachment for water closets having a bowl and a vertically movable seat, a ventilating pipe communicating with the interior of the bowl, spring-operated means for normally holding the seat in a slightly elevated position and depressible by the lowering of the seat from said position, a damper in the ventilating pipe, means actuated by the depression of said seat supporting means for opening the damper, an electric motor and'a fan actuated thereby, both supported within the ventilating pipe, a normally open electric switch in the motor circuit, and means actuated bythe damper operating means for closing the switch.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of October, 1927.

KIRK S. BLANCHARD. 

